Source: NorthJersey.com
Between 60 and 70 Paterson homes were left without running water over the weekend because of a mistake by a work crew fixing a leaky valve, officials said.
Families living near Hinchliffe Stadium went without water from Friday until Monday morning.
“The Passaic Valley Water Commission went out on Friday to fix a leaky valve and had to turn off another valve at the same time,” said Paterson mayor Andre Sayegh. “The valve was fixed, but they failed to turn on the other valve.”
“I was made aware on (Sunday) night,” the mayor said on Monday, “and immediately contacted the PVWC executive director. He promptly had the valve turned on, and every resident area now has water.”
Officials at the commission confirmed Sayegh’s account. It was not clear why the commission did not address the problem sooner.
A shortened number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 988, rolled out on July 16. Some mental health activists and providers took to social media to praise the government’s attention to improving support systems. They also, though, pointed out potential pitfalls.
Shrinking the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline hotline from its original 10 digits made it simpler, a number like 911, which everyone has memorized. People can still dial the longer number to connect with the national lifeline.
Yet “there is still a lot of work to be done,” explains the webpage for 988. Activists and providers have ideas for what could come next. Largely, that entails further separating mental health crisis responses from law enforcement and investing in community-based organizations that cater to specific identities.
The 988 and 911 keypad patterns sound similar, but the new lifeline number aims to divert mental health, suicide or substance abuse crisis calls from 911. However, if a 988 operator determines that a caller presents an imminent risk to themselves or others, operators could still engage emergency response teams that may include police officers.
Some mental health activists, providers and researchers and the general public cautioned potential callers that national and local crisis hotlines maintain connections with 911, even if those ties are loose.